Clamping device

ABSTRACT

A removable attachment for use with a hand-held tool is disclosed. The tool comprises a housing and a cutting blade mounted therein for continuous reciprocating movement during operation. The attachment comprises a work piece receiving member pivotally mounted to the tool housing. An adjustable clamping member is pivotally mounted to the work piece receiving member. An adjuster, movable between an engaged and a disengaged position, is operably connected to the clamping member for adjusting the clamping member so as to clamp a work piece positioned on the work piece receiving member for operation thereon by the cutting blade. A quick release mechanism is provided for quickly moving the adjuster between its engaged and disengaged positions. In one preferred embodiment, the quick release mechanism comprises a rotatable cam operatively connected with a sliding member; rotation of the cam causes the sliding member to move from the first position to the second position thereby causing the sliding member to move the adjuster into the engaged position. In the engaged position, the adjuster is operably connected to the clamping member, and in the disengaged position, the clamping member and the adjuster are freely movable allowing the operator to quickly position a work piece in the clamp or remove a cut work piece.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation-in-part of an application nowpending entitled, "Clamping Device for Use with a Hand-Held Tool," whichwas filed on Oct, 25, 1995 and accorded Ser. No. 08/548,279, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,611,146.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a clamping device for use with ahand-held tool. More particularly, the present invention relates to aclamping device for facilitating the positioning of a work piece, suchas a pipe, conduit or the like, with respect to the tool to effectoperation on the work piece by the tool.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Clamping devices which are removably attached to a power tool housingare known. One such clamping device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,834,019to Smeltzer et al. The Smeltzer et al. patent describes an attachmenthaving a tube engaging structure pivotally mounted to the tool housing.The tube engaging structure is movable between a tube receiving positionand a cutting cycle completion position. In operation, a user engagesthe handle and moves the tube engaging structure into the tube receivingposition. After a tube is inserted into the tube engaging structure, theuser releases the handle. A spring, connected to the tube engagingstructure, biases the tube engaging structure towards the cutting bladeso that the tube is "clamped" between the tube engaging structure andthe cutting blade. After the tube has been cut, it is no longer"clamped" and the two portions of the tube fall to either the side ofthe attachment.

Another clamping device for use with a hand-held tool is shown in U.S.Pat. No. 4,437,237 to Ducret (the '273 patent), who is also the namedinventor of the present invention. The '237 patent discloses a removableclamping device comprising a work holding assembly having pivotallymounted side plates, best shown in FIG. 11 of the '273 patent. Theplates extend downwardly and forwardly and carry an adjustable lowerjaw. A nut/bolt combination is provided for manually moving the lowerjaw to the appropriate location along the plates so as to clamp a workpiece therein.

More specifically, the movable member of clamping jaw of the '237 patentis underneath the work piece; thus, the movable jaw member receives muchof the force exerted on the work piece by the cutting blade and theuser. Therefore, if the jaw member is not securely locked, it could slipfrom its position. In addition, the clamping member of the '237 patentmust be manually tightened and loosened each time the operator desiresto cut a work piece or release a work piece that has been cut. Further,the adjustable clamping member of the '237 patent is positioned underthe cutting blade.

What is desired, therefore, is a clamping device which has an immovableportion of the clamping device bearing most of the force of the workpiece and the user during the cutting cycle, which has a quick releasemechanism to reduce the amount of time needed by the operator to clamp awork piece and/or remove a cut work piece, which is easily removed fromand attached to a power tool housing, which can be attached to the powertool housing with little retooling, and which securely clamps workpieces of a variety of diameters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide aclamping device which can be easily attached to and detached from anexisting hand-held tool.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a clampingdevice which can be attached to the housing of an existing hand-heldpower tool with little retooling.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide aclamping device which is simple in construction, efficient in operationand economical to manufacture and maintain.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide aclamping device wherein the adjustable portion of the clamping member isnot a weight-bearing member of the clamping device.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide aclamping device wherein the clamping member can be adjusted at alocation wherein the user is not exposed to harm while adjusting theclamping device.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide aclamping device wherein the clamping member is suitable for clampingwork pieces having a variety of diameters, including relatively smalldiameters.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide aclamping device which has a quick release mechanism to reduce the amountof time needed by the operator to clamp a work piece and/or remove a cutwork piece from the device.

To overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and to achieve the objectsand advantages listed above, a clamping device is disclosed whichcomprises a mounting assembly which comprises a work piece receivingmember having a longitudinal axis and at least one work piece receivingsurface, an adjustable clamping member pivotally mounted to the workpiece receiving member, an adjuster for adjusting the clamping member soas to securely position a work piece between the clamping member and thework piece receiving surface, and a mounting assembly for removablyattaching the clamping device to a hand-held tool.

The adjustable clamping member is pivotally mounted to the work piecereceiving member about a pivotal axis positioned substantially parallelto the longitudinal axis of the work piece receiving member. Theadjuster is movable between an engaged and a disengaged position and isconnected to the clamping member such that when the adjuster is in theengaged position, the clamping member facilitates positioning of thework piece on the work piece receiving member.

A quick release mechanism minimizes the amount of the time an operatormust spend clamping a work piece to be cut and/or removing a work piecefrom the work piece receiving member after it has been cut. In onepreferred embodiment, the quick release mechanism comprises a slidingmember operatively connected to the adjuster and movable between a firstposition and a second position, and a rotatable cam, operativelyconnected to the sliding member, for moving sliding member between thefirst and second positions. Rotation of the cam causes the slidingmember to move from the first, or disengaged, position to the secondposition, or engaged position, thereby causing the sliding member tomove the adjuster into the engaged position.

In the engaged position, at least some of the threads of the adjusterengage a threaded portion of the clamping device housing adjacent theadjuster. As such, an operator may rotate the adjuster and move theclamping member in the preferred direction, i.e., either towards or awayfrom the work piece positioned on the work piece receiving member.

In contrast, in the first position, the adjuster is freely movable in adirection substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thework piece receiving member. When the adjuster is freely movable, it maybe quickly and easily pivoted to facilitate positioning a work piece onor removing it from the work piece receiving member. Thus, thequick-release member is a time and energy saving feature of the presentapplication.

In another preferred embodiment, the quick release mechanism is not camactivated; rather, the adjuster is moved between the engaged and thedisengaged position by an adjuster engaging member which is movabletoward and away from the adjuster via threads circumferentiallypositioned about the adjuster engaging member. The housing of theclamping device has a complimentary threaded portion to facilitatemovement of the adjuster engaging member.

After the clamping member securely positions the work piece against thesurface of the work piece receiving member, the work piece can bequickly and easily cut in a plane transverse to the length of the piece,or otherwise acted on. Thus, the clamping device provides means forpositioning the work piece so that it may be cut in a substantially"straight" manner; accordingly, the clamping device facilitatespositioning the work piece in a much more secure manner when compared toconventional clamping devices.

The invention and its particular features and advantages will becomemore apparent from the following detailed description when consideredwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a hand-held tool and an attached clampingdevice constructed in accordance with the present invention, wherein theclamping device is shown clamping a work piece having a relatively largediameter;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the clamping device shown in FIG. 1, showing abeveled edge of a clamping member advantageous for clamping a work piecehaving a smaller diameter than the work piece shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the hand-held tool and the clamping deviceshown in FIG. 1 (with the work piece removed for clarity);

FIG. 4 is a top view of the hand-held tool and the clamping device shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the bottom portion of the clamping membershown in FIGS. 1-4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hand-held tool and attachedclamping device taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the clamping device taken along line7--7 of FIG. 6, showing a cam and sliding member engaged with anadjuster;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7 showingthe cam and sliding member in the engaged position;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to that shown in FIG. 7, except the cam andsliding member are in the disengaged position, i.e., the threadedadjuster is not operably positioned against the corresponding threadedportion;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of the cam;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of the sliding member;

FIGS. 12-14 are schematic side views showing the various positions ofthe clamping device relative to the position of the hand-held tool whenin operation;

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of an adjuster engaging member for use inanother preferred embodiment of a quick release mechanism; and

FIGS. 16-17 are cross-sectional views of the adjuster engaging member ofFIG. 15, shown moving the adjuster between the engaged (FIG. 16) anddisengaged (FIG. 17) positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings in detail, a clamping device is shown andgenerally designated by the reference numeral 10. It should beunderstood that for the sake of clarity not all of the components andparts of clamping device 10 may be shown and/or marked in all thedrawings. Further, as used herein, the terms "up", "down", "top","bottom", etc. refer to clamping device 10 when in the orientation shownin FIG. 1.

As best shown in FIG. 1, clamping device 10 of the present invention canbe operably connected to any suitable device, such as a power-operated,hand-held, reciprocating saber saw, generally indicated at 12, such asthat one manufactured by the Porter Cable Company, marketed under thetrademark TIGER CUB, for cutting through a work piece 14. Other suitabledevices include power-operated saws other than saber saws. Clampingdevice 10 has been shown for use with power-operated, hand-held sabersaw 12 for convenience only; the present invention 10 is not limited tothis application.

Tool 12, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6, comprises a housing 16 having a bladereceiving member 18 mounted therein for continuous reciprocatingmovement in the directions shown by arrow 20 during the power operationof tool 12. It should be understood that tool 12 includes a suitableoperably connected motor (not shown) within housing 16 which, throughthe usual power transmission (not shown), serves to impart continuousreciprocating movement to blade receiving member 18 in response to theengagement of actuating switch 22 by an operator.

Tool 12 also comprises a conventional cutting blade, generally indicatedat 24, including a free end 26 and a remote end 28. Remote end 28 isadapted to be fixedly attached to the outwardly extending end of bladereceiving member 18, by any suitable means (not shown) which means areknown by persons skilled in the art. Blade 24 comprises a series ofcutting teeth such as 30 (FIG. 3) extending along one longitudinal edgethereof between ends 26 and 28. In accordance with conventionalpractice, cutting teeth 30 are shaped so as to effect a cutting actionduring the reciprocating movement thereof in one direction. In theembodiment shown, cutting teeth 30 are shaped to provide a cuttingaction during the movement of blade 24 in a direction inwardly towardhousing 16 of tool 12.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, tool 12 is suitable for cutting work piece14 in a plane parallel to the reciprocating movement of cutting bladereceiving member 16 as indicated by arrow 20 (FIG. 6). It should beunderstood that clamping device 10 is suitable for clamping any of avariety of work pieces, such as pipes, conduits, tubes and the like, ofvarious diameters. Clamping device 10 has been shown for use with a pipefor convenience only; the present invention 10 is not limited to thisapplication.

Clamping device 10 functions to facilitate the positioning of work piece14 in operative relation to the cutting blade 24 and the cuttingmovement of blade 24 of tool 12. As best shown in FIGS. 1-3, clampingdevice 10 comprises work piece receiving member 32, clamping member 34,adjuster 36 and mounting assembly 38.

Mounting assembly 38 detachably fixedly secures clamping device 10 tohousing 16 of tool 12. As illustrated in FIGS. 12-14, mounting assembly38 mounts clamping device 10 for pivotable movement between a pluralityof positions, which are discussed more fully herein below. Any suitablemounting assembly may be used, mounting assembly 38 illustrated in thedrawings being preferred. Preferably, mounting assembly 38, as shown inFIG. 3, comprises bracket 40 which fits snugly over tool housing 16.Adjustable threaded screws 42, 44, positioned on opposite sides ofcutting blade 24, removably fixedly attach clamping device 10 to bracket40 such that work piece receiving member 32 is pivotally connected tomounting assembly 38 and thus to tool housing 16 and such that cuttingblade 24 is operatively positioned relative to work piece receivingmember 32 and work piece 14 to effect cutting of work piece 14positioned thereon. See FIG. 3.

Work piece receiving member 32 is pivotally mounted to tool housing 16about a pivotal axis 46 (FIG. 3) extending substantially perpendicularlyto the direction of reciprocating movement of blade receiving member 18as indicated by arrow 20 (FIG. 6). Work piece receiving member 32 ispivotally mounted so as to move between a work piece receiving position(FIG. 12), to a work piece cutting cycle beginning position (FIG. 13),through a work piece cutting cycle completion position (FIG. 14).

Work piece receiving member 32 may be of any desired configurationsuitable to receive and hold a work piece 14. In the preferredembodiment illustrated in the drawings, the structure comprises at leastone, and preferably two, upper receiving surfaces 48, 50 and two lowerreceiving surfaces 52, 54 positioned with respect to each other so as toreceive and hold work piece 14 positioned thereon. See FIGS. 1-3. In themost preferred embodiment, upper work piece receiving surfaces 48, 50are positioned at approximately a right angle with respect to lower workpiece receiving surfaces 52, 54. It should be understood, however, thatwork piece receiving surfaces 48, 50, 52, 54 can be positioned in anyrelationship to each other so long as they suitably receive and hold awork piece during the work piece receiving position through the workpiece cutting cycle completion position.

Work piece receiving surfaces 48, 50, 52, 54 can be mounted with respectto the work piece receiving member 32 in any suitable manner by anysuitable means. In the preferred embodiment, upper work piece receivingsurfaces 48, 50 are integrally attached to work piece receiving member32, while lower work piece receiving surfaces 52, 54 are removablyfixedly attached to the work piece receiving member 32 via screws 56,58, shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, upper receiving surfaces 48, 50 are positioned withrespect to each other and lower receiving surfaces 52, 54 are positionedwith respect to each other such that a slot 60 extends at leastpartially therethrough, and preferably extends completely betweensurfaces 48, 50, 52, 54. Slot 60 is positioned, sized and shaped so asto allow the passage of reciprocating blade 24 at least partiallythrough receiving surfaces 48, 50, 52, 54. Slot 60 is open in adirection toward cutting teeth 30 and free end 26 of blade 24 when workpiece receiving member 32 is disposed in its work piece cutting cyclecompletion, for example, which is shown in FIG. 14.

In the work piece receiving position, illustrated in FIG. 12, work piecereceiving member 32 is positioned such that cutting blade 24 ismaximally displaced from the lower work piece receiving surfaces 52, 54(best shown in FIG. 3) so as to facilitate the positioning of a workpiece 14 (FIG. 1) thereon. Although any suitable position can beassumed, the preferred position is that shown. In the work piecereceiving position, undesirable excessive rearward movement of the workpiece receiving member, i.e., movement of work piece receiving member 32away from the cutting blade 24, is prevented by stop member 66. Stopmember 66 may be any suitable device sufficient to prevent undesirablemovement of the work piece receiving member 32 as shown in FIG. 12.

Work piece receiving member 32 is movable from the work piece receivingposition (FIG. 12) to the work piece beginning cutting cycle position(FIG. 13) in the direction shown by arrow 68 (also shown in FIG. 13).Advantageously, bottom portion 62 of work piece receiving member 32 isrounded to facilitate rotation thereof. In the work piece beginningcutting cycle position, work piece receiving member 32 is rotatedtowards cutting blade 24 and rotational movement of the work piecereceiving member 32 is stopped when cutting blade 24 contacts work piece14.

After cutting blade 24 cuts through work piece 14 (in the direction ofarrow 70) in a plane substantially parallel with the direction of thereciprocating movement of cutting blade 24, undesirable, excessiverotational movement of work piece receiving member 32 is prevented bystop member 72 shown in FIG. 14. Work piece receiving member 32 is thenin the work piece cutting cycle completion position.

Adjustable clamping member 34 is pivotally mounted to work piecereceiving member 32 about a pivotal axis extending substantiallyperpendicularly to the direction of the reciprocating movement of theblade receiving member 16 shown by arrow 20 (FIG. 6), or, in otherwords, substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 47 of work piecereceiving member 32 (FIG. 3). Clamping member 34 is pivotable between avariety of positions as indicated by arrow 74 shown in FIG. 3 and arrow76 shown in FIG. 12.

Referring in detail to FIGS. 2, 5, clamping member 34 further comprisesbottom portion 78 suitable to facilitate clamping pipes having a varietyof diameters. Compare FIGS. 1 and 2. Preferably, bottom portion 78 hasbeveled edge 80 (FIG. 5) for facilitating the clamping of a work piece14 having a relatively small diameter. In the preferred embodiment, theplacement and length of the beveled edge is such that it is possible toclamp a work piece 14 having a diameter as small as one-eighth of aninch.

Referring again to FIG. 5, bottom portion 78 of clamping member 34further comprises a plurality of grooves, such as 82, 84, for creating arelatively non-slip surface on bottom portion 78 for facilitatingpositioning of work piece 14. The grooves illustrated in the drawingsare substantially parallel to each other and are positioned relativelyclose to each other, such as about 15-35 grooves per inch, or mostpreferably about 20-25 grooves per inch. Most preferably, grooves 82, 84are positioned such that they are parallel to the longitudinal axis 47of the work piece receiving member 32 (FIG. 3), or, in other words,substantially perpendicular to the direction of the reciprocatingmovement of the blade receiving member 16, as indicated by arrow 20 inFIG. 6. It should be understood, however, that grooves 82, 84 could takeon any size, shape and direction so long as grooves such as 82, 84sufficiently create a relatively non-slip surface on bottom portion 78of clamp 34.

As best illustrated in FIG. 5, grooves 82, 84 extend over about 60% ofthe bottom portion 78. It should be understood, however, that grooves82, 84 may extend over any amount of length of bottom portion 78, solong as enough grooves are present to create a suitable non-slipsurface.

It should further be understood that, although beveled edge 80 has notbeen shown with a grooved portion, one could be added, if desired.

Adjuster 36 is movable between an engaged position (FIGS. 7-8) and adisengaged position (FIG. 9) and is operably connected to the clampingmember 34 for adjusting it when in the engaged position. When in thedisengaged position (FIG. 9), adjuster 36 is freely movable in avertical direction as shown by arrow 86 in FIG. 3.

The threaded adjuster 36 comprises a quick release mechanism 88 (FIGS.7, 9). In one preferred embodiment, quick release mechanism 88 comprisessliding member 90 (FIGS. 7-9, 11) and cam 100 (FIGS. 7-9, 10), which isoperatively connected to slide member 90. Sliding member 90 is movablebetween a first position and a second position. The sliding member 90has a first end 92 and a second end 94, best shown in FIG. 11. Thesecond end 94 has a portion 96 complementary to the adjuster 36 forreleasably engaging the adjuster 36, and, preferably, the sliding memberis spring-biased by spring 98 towards the adjuster 36. Spring 98,preferably a coil spring, effectively resiliently biases movement of thesliding member 90 toward the adjuster 36.

Cam 100 is rotatable in the direction shown by arrow 102 in FIG. 3 andarrow 104 in FIG. 9. In operation, rotation of cam 100 causes slidingmember 90 to move from the first position wherein the adjuster 36 isdisengaged (FIG. 9) to the second position wherein the adjuster 36 isengaged (FIGS. 7-8). When in the operable or engaged position, threads89, 91, for example, of adjuster 36 are operatively connected tothreaded portion 93, 95 adjacent thereto; adjuster 36 can then bemanually rotated to effect movement of clamping member 34.

As shown in FIG. 11, sliding member 90 preferably comprises an elongatedmember comprising an upper and a lower surface 106, 108, respectively,and a hole 110 positioned between the two ends 92, 94 and extendingbetween the upper surface and the lower surfaces 106, 108. Hole 110 issized and shaped sufficiently so as to receive cam 100 which isrotatable therein.

Cam 100 can be any suitable size and shape so long as it is operative tomove sliding member 90 so as to move adjuster 36 between its engaged anddisengaged positions. As best shown in FIG. 10, cam 100 is preferablycomprised of a lower substantially tubular member 112 having apredetermined diameter. A middle portion 114 is fixedly attached by anysuitable means to the upper end of lower portion 112 and preferably hasa predetermined diameter larger than the diameter of the lower member112. Cam 100 also preferably comprises knob 116 to facilitate manualrotation thereof.

It should be understood that the quick release mechanism 88 can take onany suitable size and shape so long as adjuster 36 can be quickly andeasily moved between an engaged and a disengaged position.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 3-4, clamping device 10 further comprises handle118 removably attached to the work piece receiving member 32. Handle 118has a longitudinal axis 120 (FIG. 1) positioned substantiallyperpendicularly to the direction of the reciprocating movement of theblade receiving member 16 or, in other words, substantially coaxial withthe longitudinal axis 47 of the work piece receiving member 32 (FIG. 3).Handle 118 may optionally be grasped by an operator to stabilize tool 12and handle 118 may serve to balance work piece 14 which extends beyondwork piece receiving member 32.

In operation, clamping device 10 is fixedly attached to tool 12 as shownin FIGS. 1-3, for example. Work piece receiving member 32 is positionedon work surface 64 and moved into the work piece receiving position(FIG. 12). Then, adjuster 36 is moved via cam 100 to the disengagedposition (FIG. 9) and a work piece 14 (FIG. 1) is positioned on workpiece receiving surface 32. Afterwards, adjuster 36 is moved viarotation of cam 100 to the engaged position (FIGS. 7, 8).

Rotation of knob 101 (FIGS. 2, 6) on adjuster 36 rotates adjuster 36 soas to tighten clamping member 34 against work piece 14. After work piece14 has been securely positioned on work piece receiving surfaces 48, 50,52, 54, work piece receiving member 32 is rotated to the work piecebeginning cutting cycle position illustrated in FIG. 13.

An operator then activates switch 22 shown in FIG. 1 so as to impartcontinuous reciprocating movement to blade receiving member 18 thusactivating cutting blade 24. After cutting blade 24 has cut through workpiece 14 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis47 of the work piece receiving member 32, work piece receiving member 32is positioned in the work piece completing cutting cycle position, whichis shown in FIG. 14.

After the work piece 14 has been desirably cut, adjuster 36 is moved viarotation of cam 100 to the disengaged position (FIG. 9) to allow theoperator to quickly and easily remove work piece 14.

Advantageously, an operator may, if desired, position tool 12 withattached clamping device 10 on a relatively low work surface (not shown)for applying additional pressure to tool 12 to facilitate effectingoperation on work piece 14. That is, an operator may position tool 12with attached clamping device 10 on the floor, for example, and move itinto the work piece receiving position (FIG. 12). After inserting workpiece 14 therein, work piece receiving member 32 is rotated to thebeginning cutting cycle position (FIG. 13). Then, the operator may, ifdesired, step on tool housing 16 or otherwise apply additional force ontool 12 in the appropriate direction; as such, work piece receivingmember 32 rotates via rounded portion 62. The upward force of work piecereceiving member 32 on work piece 14 caused by the user stepping onhousing 16 facilitates movement of blade 24 through work piece 14 andtoward the cutting cycle completion position (FIG. 14).

Another preferred embodiment of the quick release mechanism SBA is shownin FIGS. 15-17. Quick release mechanism 88A comprises adjuster engagingmember 130, which is movable between an adjuster engaging position (FIG.16) and an adjuster disengaging position (FIG. 17). The adjusterengaging member 130 has a first end 132 and a second end 134. Theadjuster engaging member 130 has a first diameter at the first end andthe second end, and a portion 136 between the first end and the secondend 132, 134, respectively, having a second diameter. The seconddiameter is less than the first diameter.

As best shown in FIG. 15, adjuster engaging member 130 is preferablythreaded at the second end 134; the threaded portion iscircumferentially positioned about the adjuster engaging member 130. Thehousing of the work piece positioning device has an adjacentcomplementary threaded portion 138. The threaded portions 134, 138cooperate to move the adjuster engaging member 130 so that it may engage(FIG. 16) and disengage (FIG. 17) the adjuster 36.

The quick release mechanism 88A further comprising a stop member 140,positioned so as to engage the first and second ends 132, 134 of theadjuster engaging member 130, so as to prevent undesired movement of theadjuster engaging member 130. That is, the stop member 140 is positionedso that the portion of the adjuster engaging member 130 having thesmaller diameter slides freely thereunder; movement of the adjusterengaging member 130 is stopped in either direction when the stop member140 abuts the portion of the adjuster engaging member 130 having thelarger diameter.

As shown in FIGS. 16, 17, second end 134 of the adjuster engaging member130 has a substantially flat surface. It should be understood, however,that this surface could have threads sized to complement the threadedportion of the adjuster 36, if desired. The other end of adjusterengaging member 130 comprises a handle 142, fixedly attached to theadjuster engaging member 130. Handle 142 is rotatable, as shown by arrow144, for moving the adjuster engaging member 130 between the adjusterengaged (FIG. 16) and adjuster disengaged (FIG. 17) positions.

It should be understood that the foregoing is illustrative and notlimiting and that obvious modifications may be made by those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly,reference should be made primarily to the accompanying claims, ratherthan the foregoing specification, to determine the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A work piece positioning device comprising:a work piece receiving member comprising at least two receiving surfaces positioned relative to each other so as to receive and hold a work piece positioned thereon, and having a longitudinal axis; an adjustable clamping member pivotally mounted to the work piece receiving member about a pivotal axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the work piece receiving member; an adjuster movable between an engaged and disengaged position and connected to the clamping member such that when the adjuster is in the engaged position the clamping member facilitates positioning of the work piece on the work piece receiving member; a release mechanism comprising an adjuster engaging member, movable between a first position and a second position, having a first end and a second end, for releasably engaging the adjuster and moving the adjuster between the engaged and disengaged position, at least one threaded portion, the threaded portion being circumferentially positioned about the adjuster engaging member, a first diameter at the first end and the second end, and a portion between the first end and the second end having a second diameter, the second diameter being less than the first diameter; and a complementary threaded portion, for facilitating movement of the adjuster engaging member between the first and second position.
 2. The work piece positioning device of claim 1, the release mechanism further comprising a stop member, positioned so as to engage the first end and second end of the adjuster engaging member having the first diameter, so as to prevent undesired movement of the adjuster engaging member.
 3. The work piece positioning device of claim 2, the second end of the adjuster engaging member having a substantially flat surface.
 4. A work piece positioning device comprising:a work piece receiving member comprising at least two receiving surfaces positioned relative to each other so as to receive and hold a work piece positioned thereon, and having a longitudinal axis; an adjustable clamping member pivotally mounted to the work piece receiving member about a pivotal axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the work piece receiving member; an adjuster movable between an engaged and disengaged position and connected to the clamping member such that when the adjuster is in the engaged position the clamping member facilitates positioning of the work piece on the work piece receiving member; a release mechanism comprising an adjuster engaging member, movable between a first position and a second position, having a first end and a second end, for releasably engaging the adjuster and moving the adjuster between the engaged and disengaged position; and a handle removably attached to the work piece receiving member, the handle having a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis of the handle being substantially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the work piece receiving member.
 5. A work piece positioning device comprising:a work piece receiving member comprising at least two receiving surfaces positioned relative to each other so as to receive and hold a work piece positioned thereon, and having a longitudinal axis; an adjustable clamping member pivotally mounted to the work piece receiving member about a pivotal axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the work piece receiving member and comprising a plurality of substantially parallel grooves for facilitating positioning of the work piece; an adjuster movable between an engaged and disengaged position and connected to the clamping member such that when the adjuster is in the engaged position the clamping member facilitates positioning of the work piece on the work piece receiving member; and a release mechanism comprising an adjuster engaging member, movable between a first position and a second position, having a first end and a second end, for releasably engaging the adjuster and moving the adjuster between the engaged and disengaged position.
 6. A clamping device for positioning a work piece comprising:a work piece receiving member comprising at least two receiving surfaces positioned relative to each other so as to receive and hold a work piece positioned thereon, and having a longitudinal axis; an adjustable clamping member pivotally mounted to the work piece receiving member about a pivotal axis which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the work piece receiving member; an adjuster movable between an engaged and a disengaged position and connected to the clamping member such that when the adjuster is in the engaged position, the clamping member is movable toward and away from the work piece receiving member; and a release mechanism comprising:an adjuster engaging member, movable between a first position and a second position, having a first end and a second end, for releasably engaging the adjuster and moving the adjuster between the engaged and disengaged position, the adjuster engaging member having a first diameter at the first end and the second end, and a portion between the first end and the second end having a second diameter, the second diameter being less than the first diameter; and a stop member positioned so as to engage the first end and second end of the adjuster engaging member having the first diameter, so as to prevent undesired movement of the adjuster engaging member.
 7. The clamping device for positioning a work piece of claim 6, the adjuster engaging member having at least one threaded portion, the threaded portion being circumferentially positioned about the adjuster engaging member, the work piece positioning device having a complementary threaded portion, for facilitating movement of the adjuster engaging member between the first and second position.
 8. The clamping device for positioning a work piece of claim 7, the second end of the adjuster engaging member having a substantially flat surface.
 9. The clamping device for positioning a work piece of claim 8, the release mechanism further comprising a handle, fixedly attached to the first end of the adjuster engaging member, for moving the adjuster engaging member between the first position and the second positions.
 10. The clamping device for positioning a work piece of claim 6, further comprising a handle removably attached to the work piece receiving member, the handle having a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis of the handle being substantially coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the work piece receiving member.
 11. The clamping device for positioning a work piece of claim 6, wherein the clamping member has a bottom portion, the bottom portion having a beveled edge for facilitating clamping a work piece.
 12. A removable attachment for use with a tool, the tool comprising a housing having a blade receiving member mounted therein for continuous reciprocating movement during operation and an elongated blade of the type having a free end and a remote end, the remote end attached to the blade receiving member, the attachment comprising:a work piece receiving member pivotally mounted to the tool housing about a pivotal axis extending substantially perpendicularly to the direction of reciprocating movement of the blade receiving member, the work piece receiving member comprising at least two receiving surfaces positioned with respect to each other so as to receive and hold a work piece positioned thereon and positioned so as to not interfere with the reciprocating movement of the cutting blade; an adjustable clamping member pivotally mounted to the work piece receiving member about a pivotal axis extending substantially perpendicularly to the direction of the reciprocating movement of the blade receiving member; an adjuster, movable between an engaged and a disengaged position and connected to the clamping member such that when the adjuster is in the engaged position the clamping member facilitates positioning of the work piece on the work piece receiving member; a detachable mounting assembly for detachably mounting the work piece receiving member to the tool housing; and a release mechanism comprising an adjuster engaging member, movable between a first position and a second position, having a first end and a second end, for releasably engaging the adjuster and moving the adjuster between the engaged and disengaged position.
 13. The removable attachment of claim 12, the adjuster engaging member having at least one threaded portion, the threaded portion being circumferentially positioned about the adjuster engaging member, the work piece positioning device having a complementary threaded portion, for facilitating movement of the adjuster engaging member between the first and second position.
 14. The removable attachment of claim 13, the adjuster engaging member having a first diameter at the first and the second end, and a portion between the first and the second end having a second diameter, the second diameter being less than the first diameter.
 15. The removable attachment of claim 14, the release mechanism further comprising a stop member, positioned so as to engage the first and second ends of the adjuster engaging member having the first diameter, so as to prevent undesired movement of the adjuster engaging member.
 16. The removable attachment of claim 15, the second end of the adjuster engaging member having a flat surface. 